And
they’re off! That phrase usually means running at breakneck speed but,
in the North Carolina General Assembly, it appears to mean that members
are taking off to attend meetings out of state instead of hammering out
the State’s budget -- again. Read
more

Dare County, town officials plan news conference on sales tax plan

As
part of Dare County’s effort to fight the sales tax redistribution plan
before the North Carolina General Assembly, representatives from the
county met with state officials in Raleigh again this week.

Commissioner
Margarette Umphlett described the trip as a productive step in the
Board of Commissioners’ ongoing effort to educate state legislators
about the harmful effects that the plan would have on Dare County. Read
more

Tony Tata resigns as NCDOT Secretary

Tony Tata resigned today as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The announcement came from the office of Gov. Pat McCrory and said that
Tata wanted to focus on personal and family issues and pursue his
passion as the writer of fictional military action thrillers.Read
more

Hatteras commissioner is guest on radio show...WITH AUDIO

Allen
Burrus, Hatteras Island's representative on the Dare County Board of
Commissioners, was the guest on the Radio Hatteras interview show, "To
the Point," on Sunday, July 19.

In the interview, Burrus discusses an array of issues that are important to Hatteras Islanders. Read
more

Commissioners lobby in Raleigh against sales tax redistribution plan

Three
members of the Dare County Board of Commissioners traveled to Raleigh
on Wednesday, July 15, to express concerns about the Senate’s budget
proposal, which -- over the next five years in a sales tax
redistribution plan-- would take tens of millions of dollars from Dare
County and its six towns and send it to less prosperous areas of North
Carolina.

While
in Raleigh, Chairman Bob Woodard, Vice-Chairman Wally Overman and
Commissioner Warren Judge met with six legislators and described the
"devastating impact the proposed cuts would have on the county’s
ability to provide services in the future," according to a Dare County
news release issued today. Read
more

Radio Hatteras' WHDX 99.9 FM is moving to Waves

Radio
Hatteras has received Federal Communications Commission permission to
move WHDX 99.9 FM to Waves while WHDZ 101.5 FM remains in Buxton. Read
more

New immunizations now required for kindergartners, seventh graders

Dare
County schools announced this week that new immunizations are now
required both for children who are starting kindergarten and those who
are entering seventh grade on or after July 1, 2015 to protect them
from serious diseases. Read
more

Ferry officials discuss passenger ferry, long route

Ferry
officials on Monday said an update on the passenger ferry feasibility
study for Ocracoke may be available at next month’s meeting on Aug. 10
at 1 p.m. in the Community Center. Ed Goodwin, chief of the Ferry
Division, said that polling has been done and data results should be
available in August. Community meetings about the findings will be in
the fall. Read
more

Commissioners approve $1 million for Oregon Inlet dredging

After
learning that an unexpected $1 million was available in a state
dredging fund, Dare County didn’t waste time getting first in line to
claim it for Oregon Inlet. At a special meeting on Thursday, the
Dare County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved transferring $1
million in matching funds from the county general fund to the state
Shallow Draft Inlet Maintenance Fund. Read
more

Seashore's three shark-bite victims are recovering

Three
visitors, ages 18 to 67, who were bitten by sharks -- all in a week's
time -- while swimming off Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches are
recovering. Read
more

DOT Secretary Tata is guest on Radio Hatteras interview show

North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Tony Tata will be
the guest on the Radio Hatteras interview show, "To the Point," on two
consecutive Sundays, July 5 and July 12.

In the interview, Tata discusses the negotiations to end the legal
impasse with environmental groups over the replacement of the Herbert
C. Bonner Bridge and answers questions about what comes next in the
continuing efforts to assure a safe and reliable transportation
corridor to and from Hatteras Island.Read
more

Fireworks over the ocean...WITH SLIDE SHOW

Locals and visitors on Hatteras Island descended on Avon on Saturday
night, July 4, to watch the annual fireworks display over the ocean
from the beaches and from windows and decks of nearby homes and
businesses.

Launched from Avon Pier, the pyrotechnics lit up the sky for miles and
went off without a hitch despite the southwest winds that whipped the
island with frequent gusts up to 30 mph. Luckily, for the
organizers of the fireworks, the winds were blowing offshore and didn't
threaten nearby structures.Read
more

“They
were at the wrong place at the right time,” said Frank Schwartz, a
marine zoology professor at University of North Carolina’s Institute of
Marine Sciences in Morehead City. “A lot of things came together at the
same time. It was a kind of perfect storm for shark attacks.”

Two
attacks last week on swimmers – a 47-year-old man in Avon, and an
18-year-old man in Waves – followed four attacks on swimmers earlier
this month off the southern coast of North Carolina. Read
more

State official endorses bond proposal that includes funds for Hatteras museum

Long-sought
funds to finish the Graveyard of the Atlantic in Hatteras could be
provided soon, but it might not be smart for supporters to hold their
breath. The money would be forthcoming only if the General
Assembly this session backs Gov. McCrory’s “Connect NC” $2.85 billion
bond proposal, agrees to put it to a public referendum in November, and
the public votes to approve it. Read
more

UPDATE: Audio of bridge settlement news conference now available

A Hatteras islander who
attended yesterday's press conference on the Bonner Bridge settlement
has provided the Island Free Press with a recording of the
proceedings. It is about 17 minutes long. Click Here To Listen
UPDATE: At long last, a new Bonner Bridge will be built

After a quarter century of planning, studies, bickering, and finally
legal challenges from environmental groups, the decrepit 2.7-mile
Herbert C. Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet will be replaced with a new
parallel span.

The announcement came in a news release about 1:30 this afternoon that
the North Carolina Department of Transportation, along with the state
Department of Environment and the Federal Highway Administration, had
reached a settlement with Defenders of Wildlife and the National
Wildlife Refuge Association, represented by the Southern Environmental
Law Center. Read
more